Best Methods For Steaming Fish With Easy How To Tips And Techniques

Steaming fish is one of the lightest and healthiest
ways of cooking fish. This method allows the fish to hold its natural
flavors without losing most of its nutrients, and does not require any
additional fat. It's suitable for most kinds of fish in any form, from
steaks, fillets, or whole fish.

Steaming is a wet heat method of cooking. The food, or in this
case, the fish, is cooked in a closed cooking vessel with just enough
liquid to generate steam. The liquid is usually water, wine, beer,
broth, stock, or a combination of those. Aromatics of herbs and spices
can also be added to provide more flavor.

Have you ever steamed vegetables before? Well, steaming fish
is pretty much the same for the method of cooking fish. If you don't
have a steamer, you can still make do perfectly fine with what you may
already have in your kitchen.

What If I Don't Have A Fish Steamer?

Basically, you will need a cooking vessel such as a pot with a
tight lid, and a rack that will sit inside the pot. The
liquid will be poured into the bottom of the pot, and the rack should
be positioned at least an inch above the liquid. The fish will lay on
the rack. With the pot covered, cook with the liquid simmering or
boiling until the fish is done, about 8-10 minutes per inch of
thickness. The fish should flake easily at its thickest part.

Alternatively, you can also use either a deep pan or a wok.
You can place the fish on a plate or platter, set it inside the pan on
top of something to hold it up off of the bottom of the pan and above
the liquid.

You can use metal canisters like small jalapeno cans, small
olive cans, tuna cans, etc., to set the plate on. Just be sure to leave
enough room around the edges of the plate to allow the steam to flow
through.

Some woks come with racks and dome shaped lids. Some pot and
pan sets come with pots that have matching strainer pots with them. The
strainer pot can fit securely on top of another pot with the liquid
holding inside that one. Place the fish inside the strainer pot and
cover. Other possibilities can be a turkey roasting pot or a fish
poacher.

How Does The Fish Cook?

The
fish is cooked from the water
vapors, which is the steam, given off from the boiling liquid. Hence
the word steaming. The fish should never come in direct contact with
the liquid while it is cooking. Steaming fish can be cooked a little
more quickly than cooking it directly in the water alone. Steaming
allows you to enjoy fish in its purest and simplest form.

What Kinds Of Fish Are Best To Steam?

Lean and delicate fish
are usually good for steaming.

Freshwater fish such as bass, catfish, and trout are a nice
choice. More oily and flavorful fish like salmon really showcase their
richness when steamed.

When plating, you can enhance the flavor a little by adding
lemon, green onions, or ginger, with a splash of rice wine or dry
sherry. Feel inspired to use what you like.